Charles I up to the Civil War

Charles I's reign started in 1625 after the death of his father, James I. His coronation was the beginning of the end for the British monarchy. 

War with Spain broke out in 1625, just after Charles' coronation. He did not have the funds to fight the war - Parliament granted a subsidy of £140,000 and the King spent £500,000, plus £120,000 of the dowry from his marriage to Henrietta Maria. This was barely enough to support a small navy, let alone a whole war. The Cadiz Expedition, lead by Buckingham, left a sour taste in Parliament's mouth. The expedition failed - soldiers found wine and beer, got drunk, and completely forgot the expedition.

In 1626, war with France broke out. Buckingham was angry that the French had used a British fleet on loan to defeat a Protestant fleet. The La Rhe Expedition was another failed expedition led by Buckingham - the troops did not have the experience to ransack the fort. The 1626 Parliament had not voted any subsidies, as Charles had selected prominent opposing MPs from the 1625 Parliament to be sheriffs in their local area, meaning that they could not also be in Parliament. The Parliament also called for the impeachment of Buckingham after the failure of Cadiz and the closeness he had shown to Arminianism in the York House Conference. Charles dissolved this Parliament.

Charles also levied the Forced Loan in 1625. It had raised £270,000 by 1627. Parliament saw this as an attack on the fact that the King had to ask for parliamentary consent before taxing. 76 people, including Wentworth, a man who would later become one of the King's closest advisors, were imprisoned for refusing to pay. A judge even refused to pronounce the loan as legal. 5 Knights, Thomas Darnel, John Corbet, Walter Earl, Edmund Hampden and John Hevingham, asked for the right of habeas corpus - the right to a free trial. The King refused to release them, sparking accusations of absolutism.

The 1628 Parliament granted 5 subsidies to prove their loyalty to the King. Tonnage and poundage were also promised to return to the King if he signed the Petition of Right. The Petition of Right was to safeguard Parliament's liberties: the end of non-parliamentary taxation, imprisonment without cause and billeting. The King reluctantly accepted the petition. The Remonstrance was a formal statement of grievances, including innovations in religion, Buckingham, and foreign failures. The Three Resolutions were delivered by a group of MPs, led by Denzil Holles after they held down Speaker John Finch so he could not dissolve Parliament. The Resolutions were; condemn anyone who promoted popery/Arminianism, counsel collection of tonnage and poundage, and duties should be paid voluntarily. These MPs were imprisoned and Parliament was dissolved.

Buckingham was assassinated by John Felton in 1628, following the La Rochelle Expedition. Laud was appointed Bishop of London due to Charles' preference for Arminianism. It mirrored his own concerns with the order, obedience, and hierarchy, but was seen by Parliament as the beginnings of…